


One Night

by andthestarsthatshine



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-11
Updated: 2013-11-16
Packaged: 2018-01-01 05:03:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1040660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andthestarsthatshine/pseuds/andthestarsthatshine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When one night of passion ties them together forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Mindy awoke naturally on a lazy Saturday morning. She loved weekends, the only days where it was appropriate for her to sleep in late without anyone judging her or risk being late for work. She stretched a little when she noticed a heaviness on her stomach. She furrowed her brow in confusion until everything came back to her. She turned her head comically slowly and her suspicions were confirmed. There in bed next to her was Danny, completely naked, with his arm flung lazily over her waist. 

He was still fast asleep and he looked so peaceful and content she couldn't help but stare. She quickly shook her head and attempted to slide out from under his arm without waking him. She managed to succeed after nearly twenty minutes of careful manoeuvring and hopped in the shower. By the time she was done, Danny was gone. She found a note on her nightstand which read,  _Sorry. Had to run. Mrs Lazenby went into labour. See you at work._ She couldn't even figure out whether he was lying or not. Had he freaked out and done a runner?

She thought back to the previous night and the events which led to Danny Castellano in her bed. They had another heated argument about something or another. It was filled with the sexual tension which had been exponentially building over the past few months and this was their release. Neither of them expected it, although they both thought about it for a long time. Neither of them were ready to enter into a serious relationship, but they needed this. They needed to let it all out in the only way they knew how. No words were needed between them for the two of them to know that this was just going to be one night of passion and nothing more. They couldn't handle anything more. It was far too complicated.

Still, she played that night in her head over and over again. It was all etched into her brain in indelible ink now and she spent many nights replaying it all, reliving the moment, bringing herself to ecstasy as she thought of his hands on her body.

* * *

_'Mindy! You are impossible, you know that?'_

_'Oh please! Like you're so perfect!'_

_'I'm not the one standing here making your life hell just through my presence alone!' He moved dangerously close to her as he shouted this to her face, eyes burning with a fire she had only seen on several occasions before._

_'Oh so I make your life hell, do I? Then why do you even bother talking to me?'_

_'You know what? I never asked for any of this! You were the one who insisted on being my friend for who knows what reason!' She could feel his breath on her face as he hissed those words out and the sensation of it, of their proximity, turned her on like hell. But she was still angry. Angry at those words. She had heard a variation of those words after he and Alex broke up, a situation of which she was an unwitting catalyst. It hurt her then but now she could only feel red hot anger._

_'I'm sorry that all of this is SO inconvenient for you!'_

_'It is! And you know what?' He moved closer still, their bodies far too close for comfort yet not quite pressing into each other, something which they were both aching for at that very moment._

_'What?!' she spat out through gritted teeth._

_'You are so fucking infuriating! I've never known anyone like you!'_

_'Sorry I don't fit into your misogynistic view of the ideal woman, Danny!'_

_'Oh please!'_

_'What Danny?!'_

_He looked down at her, considering what to say next, when he saw the telltale signs of her arousal, something which he was sure matched his, as he pressed her up against the wall and violently crashed his lips onto hers. He took her by her wrists and pinned her arms over her head, closing in on her, keeping her exactly where he wanted. He broke the kiss momentarily to look into her eyes. He wanted this badly but he wasn't a monster. He wanted her to want this._

_'What are you waiting for, you son of a bitch? Afraid you're not man enough?'_

_That was all the provocation he needed as he kissed her again, biting her bottom lip and grinding his hips into hers, eliciting a whimper from her._

_Neither had the patience to move anywhere but exactly where they were, their desire for one another taking over all sense and logic. It was rough, full of nothing but pure lust and something they both needed if only to get it out of their system. They did move. Eventually. Still attached to each other, he was quick to carry her into her bedroom. The second time, there was less of a need to rush. It was still driven by lust, but they took their time, exploring each other, getting to know each other in newfound ways. It was as if they knew this would be the last time and they wanted the memory of this to last forever._

* * *

When she walked into the practice, she quickly found that Danny wasn't there and when she nonchalantly asked Betsy where he was she was informed that he was delivering Mrs Lazenby's baby. She breathed a sigh of relief. At least he didn't run away. Still, she wasn't sure how to face him. They had their unspoken agreement that this was a one-time thing but it was bound to change things, right? 

She saw him in the break room, both grabbing some lunch at the same time. Jeremy and Betsy were there too so it's not like she could have come out and said 'Hey, Danny, can you pass me that apple and thanks for the sex last night! Are we cool?' so she simply asked 'How was Mrs Lazenby's delivery?' He nearly choked on his sandwich. Looks like she might as well have said the other thing with his reaction and the way he was sweating profusely, so she added, 'Betsy let me know that she went into labour earlier today', to which Betsy turned around and nodded, then just as quickly went back to her conversation with Jeremy. Danny attempted to compose himself a little and squeaked out an 'It went well', garnering Jeremy's attention. So Danny just cleared his throat and repeated himself in a far too low voice before grabbing the rest of his sandwich and scarpering to his office. 

She waited a decent amount of time so as not to arouse suspicion and followed him soon after. She poked her head in his office and he looked up at her like a deer caught in headlights. She came all the way in and shut the door behind her.

'Dude, what the hell?'

'What?' he asked, scratching the back of his head.

'What was with the sweating and the squeaking in there?' she pointed her thumb in the direction of the break room.

'I wasn't- I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Danny, don't play dumb. Can you not just be cool?'

'I'm cool.' There was that squeak again, followed by what was supposed to be a smirk but ended up being a nervous, sloppy smile that she found quite endearing in that moment.

'DANNY!'

'What?'

'Just stop acting so weird! So we had sex last night! Big deal! We're adults. Can we not deal with it like adults? Let's just go back to normal, ok?'

'Yeah, sure, Min.'

'Good. So you're going to stop acting all weird? I don't need the whole office gossiping about us.'

'Yeah.'

'Good.' She smiled triumphantly and walked away with a bounce in her step.

And yeah, maybe he checked her out as she walked away. What? He was only a man.

* * *

Things had pretty much returned to normal for Danny and Mindy. They were back to their normal back and forth and no one suspected anything different. But there was something different. Their eyes lingered on one another longer than they did before. There were far too many times where they were undressing each other with their eyes, knowing exactly what was underneath. It added more fire to their banter and they both relished in that. 

It never happened again though. They didn't spend so much time alone anymore, not trusting themselves to not give in to their instincts. Yet they were fine with the way things were. A relationship never would have worked between the two anyway. They were both far too different and they knew it. They were perfectly happy with just being in each other's lives as they were.

Six weeks of continuous furtive glances later, she felt something shift inside of her. She couldn't explain it exactly but she knew exactly what that feeling was. It was instinctive. If she told anyone, she knew that they would roll her eyes and tell her that she was being crazy, but she just knew something felt different. I mean, the warning signs were all there but those same signs had presented themselves before and nothing came of it then, so that's not what clued her in. Her suspicions were confirmed several pregnancy tests and a doctor's visit later, that yes, she was definitely pregnant with Danny Castellano's baby.


	2. Chapter 2

Mindy had no idea what to do with the news of her pregnancy. Apart from ring Gwen as soon as it was officially confirmed, as she was rushing her way toward her apartment.

'Gwen! CODE RED!'

'What's wrong, honey?'

'BIG news. Seriously big! The kind that only two men called Ben and Jerry can help me with!'

'Ok, I'm on my way over to yours. I'll bring the ice cream. Chunky Monkey?'

'Yes! Thank you, Gwen, you lifesaver!'

Once she entered her apartment, she immediately started cleaning up. It was pretty much the only time she cleaned, when she was this stressed. She was waiting impatiently for Gwen to turn up. She poured herself a glass of wine and just as she was about to take a sip, she thought to herself,  _Oh. Right._ Then she poured the wine down the sink and walked over to her couch, sitting on her hands and chewing at her lips nervously. She stood up again. She really didn't know what to do now. She wanted to tell Danny but at the same time she didn't. She knew how important having a family was to Danny but to spring this on him like this? No, she couldn't do that to him. But she couldn't exactly deny him the right to know his child either. That would be cruel. She was lost in some fantasy about Danny being a father when she heard a knock at her door. She rushed over and opened the door.

'Finally!'

'This place is sparkling! Oh, honey, this really is serious.' Gwen looked at Mindy sympathetically.

'Duh. Now give me the ice cream!' Mindy grabbed at the bag Gwen was holding and went to her kitchen to find a couple of spoons before making her way over to her couch.

'Well, what's wrong?' Gwen asked after Mindy had nearly finished half of the ice cream.

'You know how Danny and I kind of sex...?'

'Yes. And oh. Oh, sweetie, you're pregnant, aren't you?'

'How did you-'

'Normally with code red situations you would be drunk already.'

'Not all the time!' Mindy huffed out indignantly.

'The only time you didn't was when you had no alcohol around and you locked yourself in your apartment. That doesn't really count though.'

Mindy just pouted at Gwen. 'Ok, point. But what am I going to do about this?!'

'Have you told Danny?'

'No. You're the first person I told. I don't know how to tell him.'

'Well, hasn't he always wanted kids?'

'Yeah. But he's, like, super traditional. He wants to get married and have thousands of babies with his beautiful, thin wife and sit in a chair, reading a newspaper, with a pipe in his mouth and slippers on his feet.'

'Mindy, people change.'

'Not Danny.'

'He has changed though. He could barely stand you before and look at the two of you now. You're friends. Really good friends.'

'Yeah, I guess.'

'You have to tell him. He has a right to know, sweetie.'

'Yeah, you're right. I just need to find the right time.' She took in a massive spoonful of ice cream and sighed.

* * *

It turns out that finding the right time was far more difficult than she expected. There were three different occasions where she was actually brave enough to enter Danny's office to talk to him, after all those countless times hovering at his door, or walking past it, pausing slightly at his door. 

The first occasion she walked in and only got out a 'Hey, Danny' before she ran out of there and into the bathroom, needing to throw up. When Danny later came into her office, concern written all over his face, asking her what was wrong, she just shrugged and said 'Stress barfs'. He was still confused as to why she would be having stress barfs but seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, he left it alone.

The second occasion, she got to standing in front of his desk with a serious look on her face before Betsy interrupted them, informing her that one of her patients was waiting in exam room 2, an appointment she had forgotten all about.

The third occasion, she was sitting down in the chair opposite Danny, when his pager went off, informing him that one of his patients had gone into labour. So he rushed off and any chance of a conversation vanished.

She had wanted him to be there for the 12 week scan but she knew that wouldn't happen at this rate. She considered texting him the news but that didn't feel right; she needed to do this in person. In the meanwhile, she booked in for her 12 week scan and turned up to her appointment alone. She was supposed to see Dr Ellis, an old friend of Dr Shulman's, who she trusted to keep his mouth shut until she had told Danny of the news. 

'Hello there, just make yourself comfortable and-'

Shit. Danny. What was he doing here?! Is he moonlighting at another practice? How dare he, the scumbag?!

'Er, hi Danny.' She waved awkwardly.

'Mindy. What are you doing here?'

'Have you even read my chart?'

'No. I was just about to and-' he looked through the chart briefly '-oh boy.'

'Yeah. Surprise!'

'So...who's the father?'

Mindy just looked at him as if he'd gone mad. 'You, you idiot. Who else would it be?'

'Well, I'm sorry but usually the father finds out about his child, oh, I don't know, SOME TIME BEFORE THE 12 WEEK SCAN!'

'Hey, you can't yell at a pregnant woman!'

Danny huffed out a breath and just stood there with his hands on his hips. 'Why didn't you tell me this before?'

'I was trying to, Danny. I really was. I just...there was never a right time.'

He dragged a hand down his face. 'Do you even want me to be a part of this kid's life?'

'Of course I do-'

'Then you should have found a way to tell me! You're Mindy! You always find a way to tell me about some stupid celebrity couples breaking up or other shit I don't care about but this? This you couldn't find a way to tell me about?!'

She just looked down, not knowing what to say in that moment.

'You know what I promised myself when my dad walked out on us? I told myself that if I ever had a child, no matter the circumstances, I will always be there for them. I won't leave them. I promised myself. I'm not like my father. Don't make me like my father, Min. Please.' Danny pleaded with her.

Her heart tightened at the look on his face and the tone of his voice. She didn't want to do that to him. 'I won't. I'm sorry, Danny.' She choked out these words as tears started to fall.

He hated the sight of a woman crying. It reminded him of his mother crying herself to sleep after his father left them when she thought he and Richie were asleep. He remembered how helpless he felt. He couldn't do anything to take away her pain and it killed him inside. 'Hey, come on. Don't cry. Don't cry.'

'I wanted you to know. I really did. And I wanted you to be here for the scan. The whole situation felt a bit awkward though. I don't know. I guess you're right. If I wanted to talk about it I would have found a way. But I guess I wanted to avoid the conversation. What was I suppose to say? Tell you that you're stuck with me because of one night?'

'Mindy, come on, I'll never be stuck with you. We'll find a way to make this work.'

'But it's not just that. This isn't supposed to be how it happens. The kids come after two people fall madly in love long after the grand gesture at the Empire State Building has happened!'

'Mindy-'

'And I know you wanted all of this to happen the traditional way even if all of that failed with Christina.'

He flinched slightly at the mention of his ex-wife. 'Mindy, I've told you this before and I'll tell you again. Things don't always work out the way you planned. That doesn't mean it's wrong. Sometimes it's the unexpected things life throws at you that make it all worthwhile.'

'Danny! I didn't know you could be so philosophical!' She grinned up at him and he couldn't help but chuckle in response.

'So shall we get on with the scan? Or do you want me to call another doctor?'

'I think I'd prefer another doctor.' Danny's face fell at this until Mindy continued. 'No, no. I just want you to be the father in all of this, not the doctor.'

His face softened at that, content in knowing that she did want him to be a part of their child's life after all. 'Oh. Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Hold on, I'll just get someone else.'

* * *

After the ultrasound was done and they both were content with their copies of their sonograms, Danny offered to drive Mindy to her apartment. She had one question she had been meaning to ask though that she had forgotten about earlier.

'Danny?'

'Hm?'

'Why were you at that practice?'

'Oh, er, Tom. Dr Ellis. He's a friend of mine. He had to pop out for an emergency and asked me to fill in.'

'Oh. Ok.' She wasn't convinced that he was telling her the whole truth. 'Why didn't he just ask another doctor at his practice?'

Danny shrugged at her and offered 'Because he trusts me, I guess?'

'Are you seriously telling me he can't even trust his own colleagues to do their jobs? What kind of practice is he working at?'

'I don't know what to tell you, Mindy.'

'You weren't looking to leave the practice were you? Doing some kind of trial run for those guys?'

Danny tensed up at this and she could see the light sheen of perspiration on his forehead. 'No. Of course not. Why would you say that? That's absurd. As if I would leave the practice! It would sink without me!'

He was rambling nervously and he knew it. She knew it too. He was planning on leaving. 'Oh God, you  _were_ doing a trial run! Danny! Why?'

He looked over at her briefly, the discomfort showing on his face. 'I just...needed the change of scenery.'

'What are you talking about? You love working at the practice! You do...right?'

'Yeah. I just wanted to...spread my wings, I guess.'

'Danny, none of this is making any sense!'

'Fine. It's because I felt uncomfortable, ok? I didn't want to work in a place where I'd mixed business with pleasure.'

'You slept with a patient?!'

Danny looked at her incredulously. 'What?! No! I meant you.'

'Oh. Why didn't you just say something to me?'

'What was I supposed to say?' He had a point there.

'I don't know. Just that it changed things for you. If I knew that from the start I wouldn't have let it happen.'

'Yeah well it happened. And we have to deal with the consequences.' He paused to look at her briefly before adding 'Together.'

'So will you stay?'

'Are you asking me to?'

'Danny...'

'Yes, I'm staying. If for no other reason than to protect everyone from a hormonal you.' He smirked at her.

'Jerk.' She was smiling though, happy that she wasn't going through this alone. She knew it would change their relationship though. They were bound together through the consequences of one night forever. The whole thing both scared and thrilled her.

* * *

When Danny came back to his office the next morning with a smile on his face, happy that he was finally going to become a father, circumstances be damned, he was greeted by the unwanted sight of Christina. He couldn't possibly fathom what she was doing there yet there she was in all her glory. 

'Christina? What are you doing here?'

'Believe me, Danny. This is the last place I want to be. But after much deliberation, I thought this was the right thing to do.'

'Ok. Fine. What is so important that you just had to tell me in person? I would have thought you would rather announce whatever it is to a room full of people on a giant TV screen!'

'You have a son.'


	3. Chapter 3

'You have a son.' The words echoed in his head. This can't be happening. This is all just too much. He moved around his desk in silence and sat down in his chair heavily.

'Well, are you going to say something or are you just going to sit there?' Christina's voice snapped him out of his daze.

'I, er, I don't know what to say. What-how old is he?' He knew he hadn't seen Christina in a while so he felt the subconscious need to do the maths just to be sure. 

'6 months old.'

'Right. And you didn't think to tell me this before?'

She scoffed at him and he narrowed his eyes at her, refusing to believe she could be this callous. 'And when was I supposed to do that exactly?'

'I don't know, Christina. I don't fucking know! How about when you found out you were pregnant?! Or when you went for your scans?! Or when he was fucking born!'

She just shrugged at him which made him angrier than he was before. He stood up and slammed his hands down on to his desk. 'Don't you fucking give me that look! You knew how important all of this was to me! You purposely pushed me out of my son's life when you of all people should know that I never wanted to become the person my father was! How fucking dare you waltz in here like this is nothing!?'

He was shouting so loudly that the whole office could hear him but he couldn't find it in him to care if the whole damn city heard him.

Christina remained calm and collected though as she responded indifferently. 'Look, I just thought I'd let you know. If you want to be a part of his life or something. You have my number. Call me when you make a decision.' She moved to get up and she just managed to open the door to his office when he caught up with her and took a hold of her arm. If there was any doubt about it before, he was absolutely certain now that the whole office could hear him, most of whom were standing right outside his door, although he briefly noticed that Mindy was curiously absent.

'I'm not done with you.'

'Danny. Stop being so dramatic. Just call me when you're ready to talk in a calm manner, ok?'

'I said we're not done here! You can just drop a bombshell on me then just walk away expecting everything to be ok!'

'Let go of my arm. You're making a scene.'

He looked around to see the faces of his staff and Christina took the opportunity to free herself from his grip and walked away while offering a 'Call me' over her shoulder.

Danny was livid. He barked at everyone to get back to work then retreated back into his office, slamming the door shut. It was a universal sign for 'Do not disturb unless you want to get mauled to death.' 

* * *

Mindy had heard enough. She wasn't too far outside Danny's office and she could just about make out Christina saying that Danny had a son. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she made her way to her office and closed the door behind her. This was too much. She knew that Danny was left in a mess and knowing him, he would try to stick to his responsibilities as a father to both of his children. How he was going to make that work was beyond her. 

One thought kept running through her head: What if he went back to her?

Sure, he was angry now, that much she could still hear. But what if, after he calmed down, he decided to give Christina yet another try? Her child would be left out of that perfect little family no matter how much Danny would try to make sure that both children were equally loved. Christina would hate the fact that he had another child with Mindy and wouldn't stop until she was out of his life completely. She would be left alone to raise this child. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

None of this was planned. None of it was expected at all. Yet here she was, all alone in this mess of a situation.

She knew she didn't have any patients scheduled until later in the day so she grabbed her things and left unnoticed. She didn't know where she was going to go but she knew she had to get out of there, to clear her head.

She walked aimlessly through the streets of New York until she got tired and went into a coffee shop. As soon as she entered, she realised she couldn't even stomach drinking something right now, so she just sat down at an empty table in a corner and took out her phone to call Gwen, hoping that she would give her the much needed perspective.

* * *

Danny could barely concentrate on his work. He was still at a loss. He wanted to meet his son but he hated the fact that Christina, of all people, was the mother of his child. It meant having to see her far more often than he was comfortable with. Sure, there was a time where there was nothing he wanted more than a family with Christina but that all changed that fateful night he found her in bed with another man. This was all a huge mess. A week ago he was pondering over when he was going to be a father and now he has a son and an unborn child.  _Be careful what you wish for_ , he thought to himself bitterly.

Just then, he realised something. Mindy had heard everything, she must have done. He regretted letting his anger get the better of him and shouting so loudly that everyone could hear. He knew he had to go and find her but he didn't know what to say to her. He didn't even know what he was going to do about this whole situation. After a few minutes of thinking about it, he decided that there was no time like the present and made his way towards Mindy's office. He was intercepted by Morgan just as he came out of his own office. 

'Hey Dr C. Hang in there. You'll make an awesome dad. I'll be happy to babysit Baby Dr C, show him the quarry-'

'Morgan-'

'-and maybe Otisville when he's a little older. As a visitor obviously, not as a prisoner-'

'Morgan! Stop! Now is not the time!'

'Got it, Dr C.' He nodded and backed away allowing Danny to pass through.

He knocked on Mindy's door quietly. When no answer came, he knocked louder. Still no answer. He wondered if she was ignoring him and he considered leaving her to it before he opened the door and poked his head inside to find that her office was empty. Surely she wouldn't just leave in the middle of a work day? He figured she might have been paged and was at the hospital. That helped to ease his conscience more than knowing that she needed to get away from there. 

He came back out and asked Betsy, 'Hey Bets, do you know where Mindy went?'

'Sorry, Dr Castellano. I didn't even see her leave. She should be back this afternoon though, she has to see a patient at 1pm.' He tried to ignore the look of pity on her face, knowing that she was considering whether or not she should ask him anything else.

'Ok, thanks.' He went back into his office before she could ask him anything.

* * *

'Gwen! Finally!'

'Sorry, honey, I was just loading the dishwasher when you rang.'

'Ugh. Please don't say things that remind me that you're a domestic goddess and I'm not.'

'Mindy, what's wrong?'

'Everything!'

'Let's do lunch.'

'Yes! Can we go to that place where they serve melons with bacon? I just really feel like that right now.'

'Ok, sweetie, I'll meet you there.'

Mindy hurriedly made her way out of the coffee shop, not without noticing the staff glaring at her for taking up a table without buying anything. She sheepishly mouthed an apology before ducking out of there.

She arrived at the restaurant shortly before Gwen and was already half way through a glass of water with lemon in it when Gwen sat opposite her. Yes, water. She didn't really know what else to get that wasn't alcoholic. 

'So what happened?' Gwen wasted no time on small talk, getting straight to the point, knowing that Mindy was desperate to get off her chest whatever the problem was.

'Danny has a son. With Christina.'

'Oh wow. Oh, are you ok?'

'What? It's not like we're together or anything.'

'Honey, I know but this changes things. It complicates things.'

'I think having a child with Danny was going to be complicated anyway.' She sighed.

'Mindy, have you talked to him?'

'No. Not yet. I don't really want to hear him go through the realisation that he needs to go back to Christina.'

'Who says he will go back to Christina?'

'I know him. He'll go back to her because he feels he has an obligation to her.'

'He has the same obligation to you too then.'

'It's different. They have a history. Danny and I just had one night. It's nothing.'

'Are you sure it's just nothing?'

'What are you getting at?'

'I've seen the way he looks at you. He cares about you.'

'Well, we are friends.'

'Are you though?'

'What?'

'You say you're friends but at the very moment he probably needs a friend more than anything, you're not there.'

'It's not that simple, Gwen! I'm not some observer in this situation. I'm involved in this whole mess too!'

'He's still your friend. Be there for him. Think about how many times he's been there for you, put you first.'

Mindy thought for a minute. 'Yeah, I suppose.'

They finished the rest of their lunch talking about different topics before Mindy decided it was time to face the music and head back to the practice. She knew she still had a little time to spare to at least see if Danny was alright before she had to see her patient.

* * *

Danny had only managed to eat a quarter of his sandwich before realising that he really had no appetite right now and forcing himself to eat wasn't helping settle the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wrapped his sandwich up and saved it for later, when he was feeling up for it. He wasn't going to throw it away. It was still a good sandwich.

He heard a knock on his door and he yelled in exasperation. 'Morgan! For the last time, now is not the time! Go do some work!'

The door opened a little and he just about got ready to throw something at Morgan when he saw Mindy's face in the gap between the door and the jamb. 

'Oh. Mindy. Come in. Please.'

Mindy nodded and made her way into his office, shutting the door behind her and settling down in the chair across him. 'I wanted to see how you were doing. It must be difficult for you.'

'I-I, yes, it is. Thanks for your concern. I guess it is a little too much.' He dropped his head in his hands.

'So are you going to see him?'

'Yeah. Yeah, I want to. He's my son, how can I not? I just wish, you know, different circumstances.'

She nodded in understanding and gulped down the lump in her throat.

'Have you called her yet?'

'No. Not yet. I don't even know if I can talk to her without yelling at her right now.'

'I'm sorry, Danny.'

'What are you apologising for?'

'I don't know. I'm not really helping with this whole baby thing.' She gestured to her stomach.

'Hey, don't.' He leaned forward, wanting to reach for her hand. 'We're both responsible for that.'

'Yeah but it's a little inconvenient, isn't it?'

'Don't say that.'

'Why not, Danny? It's the truth. And now you're going to go back to Christina and have your perfect little family and-'

Danny cut her off in confusion. 'Wait, what are you talking about? I'm not going to get back together with Christina.'

'You say that now but-'

'No. I know I'm not. When I gave her that second chance, I realised that our relationship wouldn't have worked for reasons that went deeper than the infidelity. And, honestly, I don't like who she's become. She's not the woman I fell in love with. She's so much colder and I can't live with someone like that. Even for the sake of my son. And it kills me to say that, you know that.'

'I know, Danny. Look, if you need to take the time to get to know your son, that's fine, take all the time you need. I can handle this end.' She gestured to her stomach again.

'No, Min. I want to be there for all of it.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes, I'm sure. I don't want to miss any of it. I'm not my father.'

'I know, I know. Ok. Well, I've got a patient to see so see you later, Danny.'

'Bye.'

* * *

Later on in the afternoon, Jeremy made his way into Danny's office.

'Danny, I have a concern about your situation with Christina-'

'Jeremy, are you kidding me? Does everyone in the whole damn office have an opinion on  _my_ personal life?!'

'Well, yes, actually. Beverly is convinced that your son is actually a girl.'

'What?'

'That's not important right now. The thing is - have you considered a paternity test?'

'What? Why would I?'

'Come on, Danny. You of all people know what she's like. Surely, you've had your doubts?'

'Not until now.'

'Oh. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news then.'

'Ok, Christina's not that callous. Just leave!'

'Danny, I'm only trying to help-'

'Do you have trouble with your hearing? Leave!'

When Jeremy left, all he could think about all day is the possibility that Christina was lying to him. He didn't really know whether he should feel hopeful or devastated. 

He decided to bite the bullet and called Christina.


	4. Chapter 4

'Hi Danny' came the voice on the other end of the call.

'Hi Christina. So I think we need to talk. Properly this time. Before I meet him.'

'Danny, is that really necessary?'

'Yes it is. Just do this for me.'

'Fine. How about that Italian place on 18th street? You know the one. 7pm?'

'Yeah sure. I'll book us a table. See you later.'

He knew he couldn't do this alone. Facing her all by himself was just too much. He figured doing this in a public place would be enough to stop him from making a scene but he needed a calming presence. He found that the only person he wanted there was Mindy. He could've asked Jeremy but knowing him he would spend most of his time flirting with Christina. He shuddered at the thought. No, he could only go with Mindy. She would keep him in check. But he felt bad about having to ask her to do this. This was bound to be hard on her too. He vowed to ask her at the end of the day.

* * *

Mindy found that sometimes her patients brought their own revelations to her life without even knowing it. Her 1pm patient was a girl of seventeen, Julie, and her pregnancy was wholly unexpected, occuring in a not too dissimilar way than Mindy's. Sure, they were of different ages and stages of their life, but Mindy still found some comfort in knowing how someone else was handling it. If anything, she was astonished by the mature attitude of this young girl half her age. 

'Do your parents know you're pregnant?'

'Yeah, they know. They were pissed at first but I guess they realised that I could handle this and although they're not completely on board with the idea, they're at least being supportive in their own way.'

'And the father?'

'Oh yeah. He'll be there. He's a really good friend and I know I can rely on him. He's a good guy.'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah he is. And I know I can deal with this. I mean, there are no external factors to blame here. We are the only responsible for this and I guess we have to face up to it.'

'Aren't you scared?'

'I was at first. But it seemed short-sighted. What is there to be scared about? I swear so many people run away from their responsibilities because they get scared but they don't see that they can't do this all the time. Not when there's a kid involved, you know?'

'Yeah. Yeah I do. Well, Julie, everything looks fine. Let me know if you need anything else.'

'Thanks, doc. See you!'

* * *

5pm had come around quickly and Danny made his way to Mindy's office, catching her just before she was about to leave. He was already sweating slightly, nervous about asking for such a big favour. He was prepared for her possibly slapping him in response because this was really a big ask given the circumstances. Nevertheless, he wanted, no, he needed her there.

'Hey, Min.'

'Danny. What's up?'

'Um, I have a question I wanted to, er, ask...you.' He grinned a little too widely at her.

'Danny. Did you kill someone? Do you need me to help you hide the body? Because I'm telling you now, I can't lift a human body-'

'What? No. Why would you- never mind. Um, what I wanted to ask you is-' he wiped some sweat of his brow with the sleeve of his shirt '-oh boy.'

'Ok, now you're worrying me. What is it?'

'Alright, look I know this is a massive favour and you'll probably say no so I don't even know why I'm asking but willyoucomewithmetoseeChristinapleaseandthankyou?'

'What? Danny, slow down. I didn't even catch that last bit. Something about Christina?'

'Will you come with me to see Christina?'

'What?!' he could see the shock on her face and he spoke up before it turned into anger.

'I know it's a huge favour but you're a really calming presence and I need you, Min.' He looked at her earnestly with those damn puppy dog eyes. With what Julie said earlier about taking responsibility for your own actions, she realised that Danny was doing just that. She knew that many men would just disappear if they found out about some pregnancy from a one-night stand. But not Danny. No. And he was owning up to another surprise. She had to be there for him when he's sticking by her, if for no other reason than because they're friends.

She sighed before nodding her head slightly. 'Ok, fine. When do you see her?'

'Tonight. 7pm.'

'WHAT!?'

'I know it's short-'

'Alright I need to get changed and look hot, as always, so I can be all, hey Christina, I bet you wished you looked like this.' She added a hand gesture to emphasise her point.

He breathed a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. 'Ok, thanks for this. I'll pick you up at 6.30, ok?'

She thought to herself that it wasn't enough time to look as hot as she wanted but just nodded at him instead.

'Great. Thanks again, Min.' He smiled and quickly pecked her on the cheek before heading back into his office. 

She touched the spot on her cheek that was still burning with the imprint of his lips before she shook her head and headed out of the practice.

* * *

Danny came by a little earlier than he said he would but Mindy didn't have it in her to chide him for it; he always came a little early and at this point she was used to it. For once, she was ready on time. Although, this might have come from a subconscious need to not linger in her apartment any longer than necessary given what happened the last time they were here. Danny was thinking the same thing as soon as he entered her apartment and was relieved to see her ready to go.

They made their way downstairs and out into the street in silence before Danny piped up. 'You look nice.'

'Thanks.' She smiled up at him shyly. She couldn't even understand why she was acting like this with Danny but she didn't want to think about it so she pushed the thoughts aside.

Christina arrived a matter of seconds after they had entered the restaurant. She didn't come alone and Danny's face went pale seeing the man standing beside her. Mindy looked at him quizzically before turning her attention back to Christina and the mystery man.

'Hi Danny. Oh, hi Mindy. I wasn't expecting you to be here too.' Christina spoke with an icy tone.

'Well, I wasn't expecting anyone to be with you either but here we are. Luckily I booked a reservation for four.' Danny responded with a tone that matched hers.

'I don't think we've met. I'm Mindy.' She extended her hand towards the stranger.

'Hi Mindy. Nice to meet you. I'm Michael. Christina's fiancé.'

'Woah.' Mindy said wondering why Danny hadn't told her that Christina was engaged. She quickly realised why when Danny came out with 'You're engaged?!'

'Yes, Danny. We're engaged. Michael has been raising our son so you can see why I brought him with me. I still don't understand why Mindy's here though.'

'I asked her here.'

Christina just looked briefly between Danny and Mindy then smirked knowingly. 'Figures.'

Danny was about to say something before they were interrupted and led to their table. 

* * *

Danny dug into his gnocchetti as soon as it arrived, piercing an asparagus with his fork. He'd barely eaten all day so he was naturally quite hungry as he devoured his food silently before noticing that Christina was staring at him.

'God, Danny, you always ate like a pig.'

He dropped his fork with a clatter and Mindy squeezed his knee reassuringly under the table, trying to stop him from saying or doing something he might regret.

'Just eat your damn salad.' He threw back with as much calmness as he could muster. 

She did just that and silence overtook the table for a while until Christina spoke up again. 'You know, Danny, sometimes I wonder why I even gave you a second chance when your flaws are so clear.'

This time he threw his fork down. 'Are you kidding me?  _I_ was the one who gave  _you_  a second chance. Don't pretend it was the other way around.'

She scoffed at him which incensed him further and before he could say anything, Mindy couldn't help herself and spoke directly towards Christina. 'I'm sorry but  _you_ were the one who cheated on him. If there was anyone in need of a second chance, it was you, and Danny was being gracious by giving you that chance.'

'Oh please, Mindy. I know you're in love with Danny but defending him in such a saccharine manner is just a little too much.'

'Excuse me?' Both Mindy and Danny interjected at the same time.

Danny was quickly losing his appetite again. 'Christina. You're being ridiculous. Why can't you be civil? For the sake of  _our_ son, if nothing else.'

'It's not the easiest thing in the world being civil to you, Danny.'

'Ok, that's enough!  _You_ were the one who cheated. I take full responsibility for messing you around when I gave you another go but I honestly didn't mean to and you knew that. I wasn't trying to hurt you, Christina, that's never been my intention. But  _you_ were the one who decided to humiliate me in front of the whole of this damn city. And  _you_ were the one who had to come parading in here with the news that you're engaged to the very same man I found you in bed with all those years ago!'

Mindy's head snapped towards Danny. This explained the look on his face when he saw Michael.


	5. Chapter 5

'Well, Danny, what can I say? He has satisfied me in ways you  _never_ could.'

'Christina, please.' Michael spoke for the first time since they sat down.

'This is unbelievable. I came here to have a civil conversation with you about  _our_ son and you couldn't even do that. Just once!' Danny threw his napkin down on the table.

'Oh stop with the theatrics, Danny. This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you. You overreact to everything!'

' _I_ overreact?! Are you serious right now?'

'Yes, Danny, you do.'

'You wanna know what I think about you?'

'Please enlighten me.'

'I think you're nothing but a lying, cheating, manipulative, nasty piece of work and all I can say is good luck to Michael for having to put up with you.'

Christina pursed her lips not knowing how to respond.

'And another thing. A paternity test seems necessary given your track record. I want to make sure he's actually my son!' With that he stormed out of the restaurant, with Mindy following behind shortly after.

Mindy found that Danny hadn't gone far, as he paced back and forth just outside the restaurant. She instantly calmed down a bit, thankful that he was at least safe and not running off into the night. Right up until the point where he started punching and kicking at the wall. 

'Danny! Danny, stop! Please. You'll hurt yourself!'

He wasn't paying attention to her and she had to physically pull him back, away from the wall. He physically softened when his eyes fell on hers, seeing the concern etched into her features. She held his face in her hands and looked directly into his eyes until she was sure all the anger he felt just a few seconds before had disappeared. And before she could make sense of what she was doing, she leaned up and kissed him softly. It was short and sweet but that kiss told him everything he needed to hear from her. 

He smiled down at her before saying 'Thanks, Min. Thank you for being here.'

She returned his smile. 'Any time, Castellano. Let's get out of here before Cruella and her puppy shows up.' He laughed heartily at that before he led Mindy away from the restaurant with a guiding hand at the small of her back.

* * *

Danny's apartment was nearer to the restaurant so they walked back to his. Mindy really wanted to go home, watch TV and keep warm under some blankets but she didn't want to leave Danny alone right now. He needed her and she was going to be a good friend and be there for him. Everything around him was flying into a state of chaos and he needed a sense of order in her. 

They each shrugged off their coats and kicked off their shoes in unison as they entered the apartment. To an outsider, it would have felt almost domestic, as if they had been doing that for years.

'Do you want a drink? I think I have some juice around here.' He said while searching through his kitchen for the aforementioned juice.

'Do you have any herbal tea?'

Danny looked at her in amusement. 'Since when did you drink herbal tea?'

'Since I realised that pretty much everything I normally drink has either alcohol or caffeine in it.'

He chuckled softly at her. 'You're in luck. I have green tea. Is that ok for you?'

'Ooh yes!' she clapped her hands excitedly garnering another chuckle from Danny.

As she made herself comfortable on his couch, he made his way over with their drinks in hand. She was happy to see that he was staying away from alcohol himself.  _At least he's not drowning his sorrows_ , she thought to herself. 

They sat in a comfortable silence before Mindy felt compelled to break said silence. 'So do you want to talk about it?'

'About what?'

'About what just happened in the restaurant. About Christina. About Michael. Are you going to be ok?'

'I'm always ok.' She had heard those words before and it reminded her of the fact that he said this shortly before he called Christina, giving her a second chance. Clearly, his thoughts wandered to the same place as his face fell instantly and he looked down into his lap, jaw set.

She reached out a hand to his arm, forcing him to look at her. 'Danny, you know you can talk to me, right?' 

He nodded at her. 'Yeah, Min.'

The silence replaced any further conversation before Danny started speaking, completely unprovoked by her. 'You know, I actually really liked him. Michael. He worked with Christina. He came by to a dinner party Christina threw once and he seemed like a cool guy, you know, someone who I could see myself being friends with. He seemed harmless, really. I never thought he would willingly go after another man's wife but I guess I was wrong about him. That's how it's been all my life really. I mean, I thought my father was the greatest person on earth and then he just up and left, no explanation. You know, I found out later that he left my Ma for some other woman. Did I tell you that? Someone half his age. It broke my Ma's heart all over again when she found out. I think a part of her knew that he was having an affair but she loved him too much to believe it was true. So she pretended everything was ok. I never really understood why until it happened with Christina. I suspected something. I didn't know who the guy was but I just knew. I ignored it. I pretended we were fine and did nothing about it. Until I came home one day to find her in bed with Michael.' 

Mindy's heart broke for him, hating the fact that he had felt so much pain in his life, hating herself for giving him a hard time about the things that hurt him the most. He turned to look at her and was surprised to find her crying. 'Min...'

'I'm sorry, Danny. I'm sorry for being so insensitive about Christina, about everything.'

He gathered her up into his arms, soothingly running a hand up and down her arm. 'Hey, it's ok. I wasn't any better and I'm sorry about that. We both said some things we didn't mean in the past.' 

'God, Danny, I never realised how much of a bitch Christina was. She is seriously twisted.'

He didn't respond to that, although she could feel his chest shake with laughter beneath her cheek. 

She soon found herself falling asleep, lulled into peacefulness by the steady beat of his heart.

* * *

She awoke with a crick in her neck and confused about her surroundings. She moved slightly but was stopped by the arm keeping a tight grip on her. Danny. She tried to shift slightly without waking him but didn't succeed as he woke up equally confused at first. 

'Hey.'

'Hey.'

'Sorry I woke you. I was just going to head home. Need to sleep in a comfy bed, get some much needed beauty sleep!'

'Oh. Yeah. Sure.'

She moved to leave and grabbed her coat from the rack when she heard his voice again.

'Stay.'

She turned around quickly. 'What?'

'Stay. Just stay here.'

'But-'

'It's late. I don't want you walking the streets of New York at this time of night. It's not safe.'

'Danny, it's fine. I'll take a cab. Besides I have nothing to wear and I can't sleep in this dress, it's just not comfortable at all.'

'I'm sure you can borrow something of mine.' Then he was off into his bedroom in search of some suitable clothes. He came back shortly after, handing over some clothes. 'Here.'

She paused for a moment before taking them, knowing that he wasn't going to let her go, and headed to his bathroom to get changed.

She came out after five minutes. 'So I can sleep on the couch and you-'

'No, come on, we're adults, we can sleep in the same bed.'

'Danny-'

'No funny business. Just sleep. Promise.'

'Danny-'

'Min, please. I just...I just need to feel a little less alone for one night, ok?' He looked down at the floor awkwardly. He hated being so candid with what he wanted and she knew it.

She nodded wordlessly before heading into his bedroom, with him following shortly behind. He proceeded to take off his shirt and trousers, leaving him standing there in a t-shirt and boxers, as she crawled into his bed, settling under the covers. He moved to the other side of the bed and got in beside her.

'Mindy?'

'Yeah, Danny?'

'Thanks. For staying. For being there. For everything.'

'No problem.'

He moved his arm over her head, inviting her into the space created for her head and she moved cautiously before settling into the warmth of his body. He kissed the top of her head and fell asleep within seconds, a contented sigh escaping him.

* * *

She awoke to an empty bed and she could feel the coldness from the space beside her that he had long vacated. She was surprised at how disappointed she felt at his absence when she woke up but the disappointment was quickly replaced by hunger when she could smell food wafting in to the bedroom. 

She slid out of bed and padded her way to the kitchen where she found Danny making breakfast. She smiled at the scene in front of her. It was all so domestic and a part of her thought that she could get used to this, with someone. She could make out the muscles of his back moving through the fabric of his t-shirt and suddenly the memory of that night came flooding back to her. Danny turned around and noticed her standing there, although she was still staring at him in a daze.

'Mindy?' His voice brought her back to the present moment and she blushed at where her thoughts had just been.

'Yeah?'

'You ok? You kind of zoned out there.'

'Er, yeah, just thinking. About stuff.'

He furrowed his brow at her but thankfully he didn't press the subject. 'I made blueberry pancakes.'

'Oooh I love pancakes! I didn't know you could cook!'

'Hey, I'm a man of many talents!' He flashed a crooked grin at her.

She dug into her pancakes eagerly, savouring the first bite. 'Oh my God, Danny, these are amazing! I will gladly let you cook for me for the rest of my life!'

Danny fidgeted nervously at that comment but Mindy paid no attention to how her words may sound, too busy enjoying the pancakes.

He cleared his throat quickly. 'Er, I'm going to take a shower.' Then he darted off to do just that, although Mindy barely noticed, still absorbed by the pancakes and helping herself to seconds. What? She was eating for two. 

Once she was done, she heard a knock on the door and seeing as Danny was still in the shower, she made her way to answer it, only to come face to face with Christina.

'Mindy. What are you doing here?'

'What are  _you_ doing here?'

'I came to see Danny. About the paternity test he wants.'

'Right. Well he's in the shower so-'

'I'll wait.' She just barged her way past Mindy and made herself at home, just as Danny came out.

'Christina? What are you doing in my home?'

'To talk about the paternity test. Like I told your little girlfriend over here.'

'Excuse me?' Mindy spat out.

'Oh please, I know you're pregnant. You drink like a fish so the fact that you said no to wine last night tipped me off.'

'Christina! That's enough!' Danny piped up.

'Ok, defend your little girlfriend in your own time. We've got to get this damn test sorted. By the way, you're paying for it!' Then she left as abruptly as she came in.


	6. Chapter 6

Three weeks. Three weeks since Christina turned up to Danny's apartment. Three weeks had passed since she last had a proper conversation with Danny. He spent most of his time in his office, door closed, and grunted one word replies every time she tried to converse with him. She was getting beyond worried now.

She decided to brave it and wandered into his office once everyone else had left. She didn't have a good feeling about this and figured that if he was going to get angry and end up shouting, it's better if the whole office doesn't hear everything. 

'Danny?' she said nervously as she poked her head into his office.

'Hm?'

'Can we talk?'

'Sure.'

'Are you going to tell me what's wrong?'

'Nothing.'

'Then why can't you have a proper conversation with me?'

'Busy.'

'DANNY! Damn it, will you just- OW!' She quickly clutched her stomach.

Suddenly he sprung into action and was right by her side. 'Mindy, what's wrong? Is everything ok? What happened? Are you ok?' Questions came flooding out of him in a continuous stream of words. 

'It's fine, I just thought I felt something. Probably just ate something weird for lunch.'

'Are you sure? Maybe we should get you checked out. Just in case.'

'Danny, I'm fine. Really. It's nothing to worry about.'

'Yeah, but I'd rather be safe. Let's get to the hospital. I'm not taking no for an answer.'

'Danny, you're a doctor, you can-'

'I thought we agreed that I would be the father this time and not the doctor?'

She sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to win this argument. 'Ok. Ok, we'll go. Just let me get my coat.'

* * *

After Mindy had gotten checked out and everything appeared to be fine, she decided to just go ahead and ask what she wanted to ask along, as they were heading out of the hospital.

'Danny, what happened with the paternity test?'

His head snapped up toward her, just looking at her, considering what to say for a moment, before looking away. 'She lied.'

'Oh, Danny! I'm so sorry!' She pulled him by the arm to stop him in his tracks and threw her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. He found all the stress and anger and disappointment he was feeling these last few weeks disappear as he held her in his arms. He realised that he missed the feeling of her in his arms, that he needed this feeling more than anything in the world.

It startled him a little. He knew he was attracted to her and he knew he cared about her. He didn't know that he felt like  _this_. He couldn't even describe it. But he didn't really want this feeling to go away. Something inside of him told him that maybe, just maybe, she felt the same way and he had hope. Just as he was thinking that, she pulled away from him, and he felt the absence acutely.

'Are you ok?' She looked up at him, her eyes full of questions.

'Yeah. I'm ok.'

'Good.' She smiled and threaded her arm through his and they continued walking out of the hospital, out on to the streets of New York.

* * *

One afternoon, Mindy came running into Danny's office, excitedly talking a mile a minute.

'Danny, Danny, Danny! Does this dress make me look less pregnant?'

'What? Why would you want to look  _less_ pregnant?'

'Danny, I can't just spring this news on a guy. It'll scare him off!'

'What are you talking about?'

'I have a date tonight! And I'd rather work in the 'By the way, I'm pregnant' bit a little later on.'

His face fell in an instant. 'You have a date?'

'Yeah!' She smiled widely. 'And no comments about how he's such a dick - you haven't even met him yet!'

'You can't go on a date! You're pregnant!' He started waving his arms around helplessly.

'Excuse me? You may be the father of this baby but you do not own me!'

'No, Min-'

'Besides, do you have any idea how long it's been since I've had sex? 4 months. You were the last guy!'

'Hey! No penis is going anywhere near my baby!'

'Danny, you're being ridiculous. And why the double standards? It's ok for you to go around sleeping with whomever you want when I'm pregnant but I can't do the same?'

'I haven't.'

'What?'

'I haven't been with anyone else since you.'

'Oh.' She paused for a moment. 'Then get back on the saddle so I can call you a hypocrite!'

He sighed and waved her out of his office. 'You look nice. Enjoy your date, Min.'

'Thank you, Danny!' She bounded over to him and hugged him.

'Alright, that's enough.' He pushed her away from him gently. He cannot get sucked back into this again. 'Go. Have fun.'

Then she was off. 

 _So much for hope_ , he thought to himself. What did all those hugs and kisses mean to her then? The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt. Why would she do that to him only to go off on a date? What did he mean to her? He felt used, as if she were seeking his comfort and being so affectionate towards him when it suited her and he couldn't take it anymore. He can't keep putting his heart on the line like this. He dragged a hand down his face and settled for a late night at the office. He couldn't go back to his empty apartment and he had to stop himself from thinking about Mindy by just throwing himself into work. 

* * *

He wasn't ready for it.

He wasn't ready to see how happy she looked the next morning. Her date went well. Of course, he wanted her to be happy but he couldn't handle this. He will always be tied to her and he'll always be around to see other guys making her happy. He heard her talking to Betsy.

'You know, I think he might be The One.' She smiled smugly down at Betsy, who was hanging on to her every word.

'Wow, Dr Lahiri, he sounds amazing.'

'Does he know you're pregnant yet?' Danny couldn't help but interject.

'Yes. He does. And he's ok with it. Imagine that? A guy who's perfectly ok with me being pregnant and not running away!' 

'I'm ok with it.' Danny mumbled under his breath.

'What was that, Danny?'

'I said I'm happy for you.' He flashed a stiff smile at her and retreated back into his office, with a quick nod over his shoulder at her 'thank you'. He was in for a long day.

* * *

His name was Caleb. The guy Mindy had been dating for a month now. 

Danny hated to admit it but he liked the guy. He wasn't a jerk like all those other guys. He was financially stable, mature, intelligent. Danny couldn't really find much fault in him. He was good to Mindy as well and she seemed smitten. 

Caleb even stood back and allowed Danny and Mindy to be at the 20 week scan alone. He didn't want to overstep the line. He knew how important fatherhood was to Danny and he respected that this was one thing that was theirs. There was no jealousy there. Caleb was completely secure with himself and the fact that Mindy was having a baby with someone she worked with didn't seem to bother him one bit. 

This is why Danny felt so bad about what he was planning. He had to think of a grand gesture. He had to at least try with Mindy, to at least make her see that he could be the man for her.


	7. Chapter 7

Mindy and Caleb had been dating for two months when he finally had a plan. He smiled to himself, looking at the list he'd written down. He was going to send her on a treasure hunt to find him. He didn't make it too long otherwise he knew she'll give up half way through. He felt like it was the perfect mix of both of their personalities.

In that time, he had been thinking about Mindy a lot. He always felt from the start that a relationship with her would never work but now he just didn't care; he wanted to give it a try anyway. He didn't want to lose the friendship they had built but all this time with her had made him realise his feelings for her could not be denied any longer. He needed to know. He didn't want to live the rest of his life thinking 'what if?' Sure, he worried about it all going to hell, but a part of him wondered about all the other possibilities. What if it went right? What if they worked well together? What if everything he wanted was right there in front of him all this time? He had to try. He was falling for her and he knew it.

He looked down at the list again and read over it in his head:

_1\. Leave a box of cupcakes on her desk with a note attached: Go to the bakery that makes these._

_2\. Have the bakery hand her a flower with a note attached: Go to the entrance at Central Park._

_3\. Have the guy at the stall by the entrance hand her a miniature Empire State Building with a note attached: Go to your ESB_

_4\. Have the guy inside the ESB hand her a card with: No, I said go to_ your _ESB. The doctor's lounge._

It took a hell of a lot of organising and he was certain that the last point would tip her off to who would be waiting for her, who had been doing all of this for her. 

So he set the plan into motion and let the events fold out in front of him, hoping it would all go to plan without a hitch.

* * *

He heard a squeal coming from the direction of Mindy's office, obviously having found the cupcakes as she came in at 9.03am. He knew she would be late, even if just a little, and he knew he didn't have to get in too early to place the cupcakes on her desk without anyone noticing. 

She came rushing into Danny's office with the box of cupcakes and he smiled slightly when he saw the giddy look on her face.

'Danny! Look!'

'Yeah?'

'Caleb is so sweet! He left these cupcakes on my desk and-' she opened the box to look inside '-he got my favourites! Isn't he so sweet? Did you see him come in this morning? Did he rope you into this plan of his?' 

His face fell as he felt his heart drop to his stomach.  _Of course, she would think it's Caleb. Give it time, Danny_ , he thought to himself. 'I...no, I didn't see him come in.'

'Oh, these are to die for' she said as she took a great big bite out of it. 'These are going to make me so fat though!'

He chuckled despite himself. 'Mindy, you're 6 months pregnant.'

'Yeah, I know but people can tell the difference and-' she stopped speaking abruptly when she saw that there was a note attached to the inside of the box, '-wait, what's this? Go to the bakery? This is getting interesting! I wonder if he's there with an even bigger cake!' She smiled at him brightly and turned to leave. 

He couldn't quite contain the surge of jealousy that had risen through him. He knew he just needed to be patient. It won't be long until he could just tell her how he felt. She'll know it was all him. And she'll love it, he hoped.

* * *

Danny had just popped out for a coffee when he found a break in his schedule and was making his way back to the practice to get on with some paperwork and had been intercepted by Morgan. 

'Dr C! I'm glad I caught you!'

'Morgan, come on, I've got work to do. Can't it wait?'

'No. Dr L has gone missing!'

'What?'

'Yes. I saw her leave the practice this morning right after she stuffed her face with cupcakes.'

'She hasn't disappeared, Morgan. I know where she is. It's fine.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes! Now go do some work!'

Morgan scurried away when he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He smiled when he saw who the message was from.

_'Got a flower from the bakery and told to go to Central Park. Can you take my 10.30?'_ came the text from Mindy.

_'Can't you go after you've seen your patient? I'm sure whatever's waiting for you in Central Park will still be there later,'_ he replied back quickly.

_'No, Danny, I don't want to wait! I'm too impatient! Please? I'll owe you one!'_

Danny smiled to himself and reluctantly shot back a text.  _'Ok. Just this once.'_

He put his phone away and got the file for Mindy's next patient from Betsy. 

* * *

Once he had seen Mindy's patient, he checked his phone again to find another text from Mindy:

_'Been told to go to ESB!!!!! OMG! What if Caleb proposes there?! It feels like it's too soon but how can I say no to the dream proposal!? Danny, I'm so excited!!'_

Danny's smile faded as he thought about Mindy walking down the aisle to meet Caleb. It reminded him of the wedding that never happened in her apartment and the feeling of pride and happiness when he first saw Mindy appear in her scrubs, only to be replaced by a sadness and longing when he remembered that she was walking toward Casey. It tore him apart inside and he was only glad that he knew for a fact that that wasn't happening. He held on to that because right now it was the only thing that kept him going.

He figured that she would be there by now so he sent her a text:

_'How did it go?'_

_'No dream proposal :( Been told to go somewhere else. This is weird. On my way there right now.'_

Danny hurriedly made his way to the hospital, so he could get to the doctor's lounge before Mindy. Knowing her though, he was sure she would stop for a snack first, so he knew that he would have plenty of time to spare. Still, he couldn't help but rush over there. This was it. It was now or never.

* * *

Mindy walked into the doctor's lounge to find no one there except for Danny, standing there expectantly.

'Oh hi Danny. What are you doing here? Is Caleb here? I wonder why he wanted to meet here-'

'Nope. Just me.'

'But why?'

'Mindy, please.' He looked at her, begging her to understand with his eyes.

'Oh. Oh God, it was all you, wasn't it? You did all of this?'

'Yeah.'

'But-'

'Don't. Just listen. Just let me say what I need to say before I forget it all.' 

'Ok.'

'You know how I've always told you that your special place could be anywhere? That it doesn't have to be some engineered moment at the top of the Empire State Building? Well, this place is my special place because of all those moments I have spent here with you. I never even realised it before and pushed aside any feelings I had for you because I was scared and I'm tired of being scared of something that feels so right. I'm tired of running away. I'm tired of keeping my heart guarded. I'm tired of not being able to be the guy who makes you happy because I know it deep in my heart that I can make you happy and I know you know it too. You're everything I never knew I wanted or needed, Min. It's you. I don't want anyone else but you.'

He could see the tears streaming down her cheeks and he wanted to do nothing more than step forward, take her face in his hands and wipe those tears away, but he couldn't move. He was frozen waiting for her to say something.

'Danny, why are you doing this now?'

'Because I needed to tell you now. I needed you to know.'

'But Danny, why now? Why when I'm with Caleb? I really like him. I thought you liked him too?'

He felt his confidence shatter slightly, worrying that he had just put his heart on the line and he had no way back from this if she rejected him.

'I don't know, I just couldn't stand by and watch some other guy make you happy when I know you belong with me.'

'I  _belong_ with you, Danny? I'm not a possession!' She spat out. She was angry. Why was she angry?

'I didn't mean it like that-'

'I have to go.' She went to turn around when he gently pulled her back by her arm.

'Min, wait, I love you.'

She turned around to face him again and her eyes widened in shock. 'I can't do this right now,' she said, her voice quiet, barely above a whisper.

She left the room and he stood there, motionless, numb. He could feel the tears pricking at his eyes and he tried to will them away, not having much success. He was surrounded by silence, hearing nothing but the beating of his own heart, a sound so alien to him in that moment because he could swear that the moment she left she took his heart with her, ripping it out of him, leaving him empty inside.


	8. Chapter 8

Danny was taken out of his thoughts when he received a page alerting him to one of his patients going into labour. He didn't really feel like doing anything at that moment but he went into auto-pilot and scrubbed up, preparing himself for the delivery.

He soon found he was thankful for the distraction because being in a delivery room meant he had to focus entirely on the task at hand. It's the only time Mindy doesn't invade his thoughts because there's simply no room for her there at that time. Conversely, this only put the pain he was feeling on hold. As he walked out of the delivery room, it hit him again. Hard. 

He knew he had to go back to the practice, at least to grab the rest of his things, but he was dreading it. He didn't want to bump into her. He couldn't handle that right now, not when the wound she left behind was still so fresh. When he realised he had left his apartment keys in his office, he found he had no choice but to go back. He took in a deep breath and resigned himself to having to face the music.

As soon as he walked out of the hospital, he felt the bitter cold wind stinging his cheeks and there he decided that this kind of pain was a distraction from the internal pain he was feeling right now. He decided to walk back to the practice, allowing the wind to violently bruise his cheeks, as he fought against it. He realised that the only reason he allowed the wind to hurt him is because this was a kind of pain he had control over. If he wanted it to stop hurting, he could just hail a cab, or duck into a shop. The other kind? It was ripping him apart whether he liked it or not.

When he got to the practice and realised that Mindy wasn't there, he let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding in. He asked Betsy as casually as possible where Mindy was, wanting to know that she was at least ok.

'Oh, Dr L called in and said that she wasn't feeling well and was going to take the rest of the week off. Dr Reed's not handling it too well and-' she leaned closer to whisper '-I think the stress is causing him to lose some hair. He has the tiniest of bald patches showing.'

He ignored the rest of what Betsy said and zeroed in on Mindy not feeling well. 'Is she ok? Is it serious?'

'No, I think she really just wanted a heartache day but didn't want me to tell Dr Reed that.'

'Oh. Ok. Thanks Bets.'

He went into his office and, after double checking that he had no more patients to deal with that day, he headed home.

* * *

Mindy had almost run out of the doctor's lounge after Danny's revelation. This was all too much for her. All this time she never, ever thought that Danny would see her in that way, let alone love her. She thought they were just two people with a really deep friendship who just so happened to be attracted to each other, but that's it. A relationship would never work between them. Would it? Had he thought about that? He must have, he's Danny Castellano, a man who's felt the pain of having his heart broken. She knew deep down that he would never consider this if he didn't have hope. She didn't really know or understand how she felt about him and that's what confused her. She cared about Caleb and she could see herself falling for him, she could see a future with him. But with Danny, she had a basis of a very solid friendship, something that would hold them together through the tough times they would be sure to have.

When she returned to her apartment, she rang Betsy to let her know she won't be coming into work for the week. She just couldn't face him right now. All she could see is the look on his face just before she ran out of there. She saw a whole host of emotions in his eyes: sadness, hurt, despair, confusion, and, what scared her the most, she saw the love in his eyes. She saw it, how pure it was. 

She made her way to her bedroom and plopped down on to her bed, curling up into a ball, crying at the newfound option she had never truly considered. She wondered how long Danny had feelings for her if he had got to the point where he had fallen in love with her. She wondered how she never noticed, never saw the signs. Looking back, the signs seem so clear and she mentally kicks herself for not seeing them sooner. She feels fresh tears streaming down her face, wondering how she could have been so blind and how much she must have hurt him by running out on him like that.

Her phone buzzed once, and then again after about five seconds.

The first one was from Caleb:  _'Hey babe, I'll be a little late tonight, I'm going to stop at that Thai place you love so much! And don't worry, I won't forget the extra fortune cookie! x_ _'_

The second one was from Danny:  _'Hey Min. I'm sorry if I added on any extra stress today. I guess I should have taken into consideration that I could be upsetting a very pregnant woman. Sorry again. Hope you'll forgive me. Danny.'_

The text from Danny just made her feel even more guilty for running out on him than she did before. He just got his heart stomped all over and here he was, still concerned about her, when she was sure he needed some comfort right now. She felt like crying all over again.

* * *

Danny was pacing nervously around his apartment. He didn't want to think he stressed Mindy out enough for her to want to take the rest of the week off work. What if she really was sick? He knew he had forgotten to calculate the most important thing when he planned this whole thing and that was the baby, his baby,  _their_ baby. It's not like he forgot she was pregnant but more like the fact that he never considered that she would run away. He just never thought about that option and if he had he certainly would have held off on telling Mindy how he felt for the sake of their child's health. 

He sent her a quick text of apology, half hoping that she would reply but not really expecting her to at the same time. He was now at a point where he didn't know how he was supposed to feel about Mindy's reaction. He felt heartbroken but he still worried about her and wanted her to be ok. He couldn't find it in him to be angry and that was something that surprised him. With anyone else, anger would have been his go-to emotion if something like this happened. But not with Mindy. He couldn't fully understand why. He knew he loved her and the fact that the first time he admitted it was when he said it out aloud to her surprised him for only the briefest of seconds. Perhaps because saying those words felt right. But now he was sitting here thinking that he had ruined everything. Their friendship that took years to build. All that trust, respect, affection. All of it was gone. Right now he just couldn't blame her so he blamed himself instead.

About two hours after he had sent that text, he realised that she wasn't going to reply. She always replied quickly, being practically attached to her phone. He wasn't going to lie to himself, this hurt. He wanted her to at least acknowledge his feelings, just so he was certain that she knew they were real. It didn't make much sense why he wanted this but he just knew he did.

He had no appetite but he ordered himself a take-away anyway. He knew he had to eat. He needed his strength and he still had a service to provide as a doctor. He wasn't going to let all of that fall by the wayside just because someone doesn't love him. Well, that did it. The thought of her never returning his love made his eyes water ever so slightly. He could deal with waiting. He can't promise he'll deal with it well, but he could still do it. He could wait for her to come to terms with what she feels and if she said she needed time he would have given it to her. But this? How can he promise to wait when she could have him waiting forever? 

The sound of his buzzer going took him out of his thoughts abruptly and he sombrely made his way over to his door, paid for the take-away and pushed his food around more than he ate it. He really need a drink right now but he knew that if he had one, he'd never stop and he still had to go into work tomorrow. So he took a long shower and headed to bed, in an attempt to get some sleep. Instead he lay there staring at the ceiling most of the night.

* * *

Caleb called Mindy on her phone, alerting her that he was literally around the corner from her apartment. She quickly washed her face and changed into something more comfortable so he didn't realise she had been crying. She looked in the mirror and plastered a smile on her face as she went to greet him by the door.

She could barely look him in the eye all evening, her thoughts elsewhere. She felt guilty as well for what she was doing to Caleb. She hadn't even done anything and yet she still felt nothing but guilt. Maybe her subconscious knew something she didn't yet know. 

Caleb had noticed something was up straight away but decided not to say anything for fear of setting her off. But he couldn't keep ignoring it.

'Mindy, is everything ok? You've been really quiet?'

'Hm? Um, yeah, everything's fine.' When she saw his eyes narrow, she added a little too brightly: 'I was just thinking about that episode of Real Housewives, you know the one where they-'

'Mindy.'

'Yeah?'

'Come on. I thought we agreed from the start that we would be honest with each other?'

'Yeah. I'm being honest with you.'

'No, you're not.'

She sighed. He wasn't going to let this go and she felt bad for doing this to him. 'I guess I'm not. My thoughts are kind of elsewhere. I'm sorry.'

'It's Danny, isn't it?'

Her head snapped up and her eyes went wide. 'What?'

'Don't think I haven't noticed how he looks at you. There's pure adoration in his eyes and any idiot can see it a mile off.'

'But-'

'I knew how he felt about you but I didn't think I had anything to worry about. I could see by the way that he only looked at you when you weren't looking that you didn't feel the same. At least you weren't aware of your feelings at the time. Maybe you are now, I can't say for sure.'

'I'm so sorry, Caleb.'

'Hey, don't be. I like Danny and, if you do choose him, I know he'll take care of you.'

'How can you be so calm about this all?'

'We've only been together 2 months, babe. I'm a little disappointed, sure, but I don't think either of us have got to a point where we're head over heels in love with each other. Maybe that sounds a little harsh. I'm just being honest though. I do like you and I know that over time we could've been something great.'

'Yeah, we could have. We still could?'

'No, Mindy. You still need to work out where you stand with Danny. Maybe if I'm still single when you come to a decision, we can give it a try. Until then, I don't want to get in too deep only for you to realise it wasn't me you wanted all along.'

'I'm sorry, Caleb.'

'Don't be.'

'Thank you for being so great.'

They hugged each other goodbye and she pecked Caleb on the lips chastely. She sighed as she leaned back against the door. She was still at a loss about what she should do. She padded over to her bedroom and buried herself under the covers, trying her hardest to get some sleep, hoping Danny wasn't angry at her.


	9. Chapter 9

The first time Danny saw Mindy was when she returned to work the following week. He saw her and he could swear he stopped breathing momentarily. He wasn't prepared to deal with actually seeing her again since his confession. He wanted to ask her a million different questions but he couldn't speak, he couldn't move. And she seemed to be suffering from the very same affliction. She could see all the questions he wanted so desperately to ask in his eyes. She knew she had no answers though. Not yet.

He managed to find his voice eventually, knowing that just standing there staring at each other wasn't helping anyone. 'Hi.' His voice came out quieter than he would have liked.

'Hi.'

'How have you been?'

'I...ok. You?'

'Can't complain.'

'Good. That's good to know.'

Morgan came up to them before their conversation could get any more stilted and awkward and Danny could have kissed him in that moment. Morgan started asking Mindy questions about where the best Thai place is and he used the opportunity to slip into his office, closing the door behind him and squeezing his eyes shut. He didn't know how to deal with today. He knew she would be coming back to work today but he still felt wholly unprepared.

* * *

They had spent the majority of the week avoiding each other for all the wrong reasons. He was avoiding her because he didn't want to stress her out through his presence alone and she was avoiding him because she believed that he hated her guts. The only thing that could have fixed their assumptions was communication but they couldn't do that. 

They had returned back to the relationship they once had but without the animosity, the barbed attacks. They reverted back to nothingness, as if they had never met, and it killed the both of them. He was there to play the role of expectant father but that was it. As soon as they were thrown outside of that situation, Danny reverted back to normal, not saying much, silently walking her back to the office or her apartment before leaving without a word.

But this is what it took for Mindy to realise exactly how important he had become in her life. He was always a constant; they work in the same place so that's a given. She fought for their friendship then took it for granted when he finally started caving in. She had taken him for granted and ignored all the signs that she could see so clearly now. Hindsight wasn't much use now; it would've been useful some point before Danny's confession. She was realising how much she needed him. She missed him. They had gotten so close and now there's nothing. All of that time she spent trying to get him to open up and she didn't see how far he opened up, how far he let her in. 

She was seeing it all now but she feared it might be too late. She knew she felt something for him. She might not be at the same stage that he is but she realised what he means to her through the emptiness she feels with his absence. She didn't know how to broach the subject of them with him. She didn't know if she could truly expect him to be ok with her just saying that she felt something for him. She couldn't expect him to welcome her with open arms, could she? 

She needed a plan. She needed something to convince him how strongly she felt. This wasn't just about loneliness. This was about him. She called up Gwen, who picked up after two seemingly endless rings.

'Finally!'

'Mindy, what's up?'

'What's up? I'll tell you what's up. My feelings for one Danny Castellano.'

'Oh.'

'What do you mean 'oh'?'

'I'm just surprised it took you this long.'

'What?' 

'Honey, it was getting obvious that you were developing feelings for him-'

'Why didn't you say something!?'

'Because I know you. You would deny it until you die if I pointed it out. You had to come to the realisation naturally.'

'Ohhh, this is bad, Gwen. Really bad!'

'Why? He likes you, doesn't he?'

'Yes. But I ran out on him when he told me he loved me! He probably hates me for doing that to him!'

'Oh sweetie. I'm sure he doesn't hate you!'

'Gwen, we need to pull out all the stops! I need a plan!'

'Honey, this is Danny we're talking about. You know he doesn't like grand gestures.'

'You're right. Then what do I do?'

'Just tell him. Speak from your heart. Try practising before you go in there. You don't want to go off on a tangent.'

'Hmm. You're right. Thanks, Gwen.'

'Any time, sweetie.'

* * *

It took Mindy far longer than necessary to prepare what she was going to say to Danny and she was eight months pregnant by the time she decided that simplicity was the key.

She walked into his office and he smiled up at her briefly before settling for an expression of indifference. 

'Mindy. Everything ok?'

'Um, yeah. Danny, actually I have something to tell you. And I'm just going to come out and say it because I don't want to waste any more time. Danny, I'm sorry for running out on you in the doctor's lounge. I've ruined your Empire State Building by doing that. Your special place.  _Our_ special place. And I'm sure you must really hate me for it. But if there's any chance you don't hate me and you're willing to give us a go then, well, I'll be really happy about that. Because here's the thing, Danny. I'm falling for you.'

She had prepared something much more eloquent but standing there in front of him, that's what came out. They stood there silently. She looked hopeful, but she also looked worried, scared, vulnerable. All he could do was stare at her, slack jawed. He wanted this but he had given up all hope when she kept avoiding him. 

She heard a female voice behind her. 'Danny, you ready to go?'

'Yeah. Yeah.' He smiled at the woman. 

'Who...who's that?'

'That's Sarah. We're, er, we're dating.'

'Oh. Oh ok. I...I'm glad you found someone. I'm happy for you, Danny.' She tried for a genuine smile but she just couldn't muster one. Was this the universe trying to punish her, see what Danny had been feeling that other time? Because, if so, it's doing a damn good job.

'It's still early days but...'

She just nodded, then turned around and left his office before he could see the tears in her eyes.

* * *

She managed to maintain a sense of composure until she was safely inside her apartment, when she just let go and cried away everything she was feeling. Had she left it too late? Had he moved on already? How can someone say that they love her and then just move on so quickly? Two months was quick, right? She didn't even know if she had the right to feel anger at that point. Wasn't it all her fault? No, it can't be. She just needed time. But maybe she should have told him that? Maybe he would have waited then? The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. She tried to look at it from his perspective. She had just run away after he confessed his feelings for her, told her he loved her and she had been practically ignoring him for the past two months. It was no wonder he had given up all hope. Her thoughts ran around in circles in her head, continuously, torturously. 

She moved from where she had slid down against the door and went over to her bedroom. She pulled out a box that she had carefully placed on the top of her wardrobe and opened it up. Inside were all of the letters Danny had written her when she was in Haiti. She longed to have all of that back. All of that closeness they had built through those letters. It was just scribbles of ink on paper but it meant so much to her, especially now. 

She read through each of them, in order, masochistically punishing herself by making her see what she had missed out on because she was just too late. Tears kept falling down her cheeks and smudging the words on the pages, fading away, a bitter reminder of how she was sure his feelings were fading away.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. It was late and she wasn't sure who it could be at this time. She didn't want to see anyone right now so she just kept quiet and hoped the person on the other side of that door would leave. Instead the knocking got louder, turning into pounding. Then came his voice yelling her name. He sounded angry.

She gingerly made her way over to the door after wiping her face clean and she opened the door, slowly, unsurely.

There he was. And he looked just as angry as he had sounded.


	10. Chapter 10

'How dare you!?'

'Danny...'

'Don't. Ok? Just don't. How can you do that to me? Every time I give you a piece of my heart, put myself out there, you rip everything to shreds, and I let it go every time because I never believed you would do that on purpose, I never thought you would hurt me like that. And then I tell you that _I love you_ and what did you do? You ran away! I mean, I get it if you needed time to process but ignoring me for two whole months?! That's not ok. All that did was made me feel stupid and shitty! Then, what, you decided I was ok and assumed that I would come running? It's not ok that you expect me to just hang around waiting for you. Do you have any idea how painful that is? I had spent so long thinking about you, about what it would be like to be with you! I just couldn't do that anymore. I just had to try to move on for my own sanity because, Mindy, you make insane! You absolutely drive me up the wall!'

'Danny, I'm sorry I hurt you but I was confused, ok? I didn't know how I felt about you and I didn't want to say anything until I was sure! I was trying not to hurt you!'

'Well, you did! You hurt me! And that's just it. You don't even seem to be aware of the things you do. You just do everything without thinking about anyone but yourself and you hurt the people around you!'

'That's not fair!'

'It's the truth! You never think about anyone but yourself!'

'That's not true!'

'Just don't, ok? Don't bother. I can't do this right now.' He turned around and let himself out, slamming the door as he went, making her jump slightly.

* * *

Danny kept pacing around on the street in front of her apartment. He let his temper get the better of him and, as he was cooling down, he was starting to regret it.

Sarah was just a temporary distraction. She was a nice enough girl but he didn't feel anything with her. Nothing compared to the way he feels with Mindy. Her mere touch electrifies every nerve in his body, setting his hairs on its ends, pushing his heart to keep beating.

He had stopped hoping when she just ignored him, as if he didn't confess something big, as if he didn't show any vulnerability. She knew that being so raw was difficult for him yet still she ignored it. But maybe she was right. From her perspective, he did kind of spring it on her. She clearly had no idea how he felt about her and to hear it so suddenly, together with a declaration of love, no doubt threw her off. Could you allay some blame on hormones right now? She had enough to worry about right now. He was worrying about the same thing but her worries are bound to be much stronger. It's inside of her, after all. It's an integral part of her. God, he'd just gone and upset a heavily pregnant woman. Yet again.

He considered going up there again but figured he should take some more time to cool off properly and think things through before talking to her. He didn't want to let his temper get the better of him again. 

He took the time to compose himself again. He stood there, taking in deep breaths and letting out all his frustration and anger every time he exhaled. It worked but it only replaced those feelings with an immense guilt as well as longing. He really needed to walk this off. So he turned on his heel and made his way down the street, hands shoved in his pockets.

* * *

Mindy was furious. Sure, she could understand where he was coming from but to call her selfish like that? No, that was not ok with her. That was not acceptable. 

She paced back and forth, thinking about what she should do, trying her level best to calm down but instead making herself angrier and angrier by stewing in her thoughts.

She decided to find him. To hell with it, she was going to give him a piece of his mind. She stormed out of her apartment - well, as much as a heavily pregnant woman can storm out - and went to find him. Lucky for her, she didn't have to look far. She could see his retreating figure slowly making his way down the street. 

'HEY!' she yelled after him, but he wasn't paying much attention.

'HEY!' she yelled even louder and she saw him turn around, wondering where the sound was coming from, until his eyes landed on her. She looked pissed.  _Really_ pissed. He considered pretending he didn't hear her but she had already seen him and there was no way he could escape without notice. He stopped and cautiously made his way over to her.

'Mindy, you'll get cold out here. Go back inside.'

'Oh, shut up, Castellano.'

Danny just looked down at his shoes, fidgeting slightly. He'll never admit it to anyone but the one thing that scared the shit out of Mr Tough Staten Island Guy more than anything was Mindy when she was this angry. 

'How dare  _you_ , Danny?! You weren't being fair at all! It's not ok to call me selfish!'

'I didn't call you se-'

'Stop being such a pedant! You implied it! You can't deny that.'

He went back to looking at his shoes, willing them to create a hole in the ground so it could swallow him up.

'You know what, I'm sorry I hurt you. I really am. But I honestly didn't know how to react. I got scared because you had seen all my flaws and you still looked at me like that. I knew that if this was going to happen, it would be for real. It wouldn't be messing around. That's why I needed time. I needed to come to terms with my feelings for you. I didn't even know I was pushing them aside until I thought about it, I mean really thought about it. Surely you've been there? You must know what it feels like? We're more alike than people think in that way. I know that if I confessed my feelings for you when you were still in the denial stages, you would have reacted in a way not too dissimilar than I did.'

She had him there. He thought about it and, yeah, he probably would have shrugged it off, avoided her, even made fun of her. It didn't make it hurt any less though. It just added guilt to the mix and that threw everything up in the air.

She looked at him and saw it all sink in. She could see it all in his reactions, his dark eyes dancing around with each thought. She could see so much in those expressive eyes and she marvelled at how she had missed so much by not really looking. She saw him but she never really  _looked_ at him. If she had maybe she would've seen that his feelings for her were as clear as day, the same way so many others had picked up on already. Her eyes softened as she looked at him. She couldn't truly remain angry at him. He hadn't really done anything wrong.

'Danny,' she said softly as she took a cautious step forward. He looked up at her, all vulnerability showing openly on his face. 'Danny, I want this. I want us. I want it to work. I know we'll have to work hard at it because we're both too stubborn to fall into an easy relationship but I don't care because I'd rather have all those fights with you than a life of easy love.'

All he did was turn around and walk away from her.

'Danny, where are you going?'

'To the hospital. You coming or what?' His tone of voice remained neutral and she furrowed her brow in confusion, not sure why he wanted to go to the hospital right now. 

He hailed a cab and ushered her in, sliding in next to her silently. 

'Danny, can you explain what's going on?'

He only turned to look at her then resumed staring ahead into the distance. She crossed her arms in a huff and stared out of the window. What was he playing at?

* * *

When they arrived at the hospital, he silently led her to the doctor's lounge. 

It was the first time they had been in there together, alone, since his confession and the pain he felt then hit him all too acutely all over again as he stood there looking at her. 

'Say all of what you said before. The last thing you said. Say it again.'

'Danny, I don't understand-'

'Just say it.'

'Danny. You're not making any sense.'

'Min, please. This is supposed to be our special place, right? Well, how can it be special when the last memory I have of us in here is-', he paused, not wanting to go back to that place again, and she seemed to understand, '-I just need you to replace that memory. And for all it to come full circle.'

'Ok. Ok.'

He looked at her expectantly and after the longest five seconds of his life she said it all again.

He straightened up, allowing a smile to bloom across his face. He could hardly contain his grin, not that he was trying particularly hard to right now. In one fell swoop, he closed the gap between them and kissed her. He poured all the love he had for her into that kiss and she felt it coursing through her body. He smiled against her lips, as she rested a hand against his chest, feeling the steady beating of his heart, reveling in how reassuring it felt. He pulled back slightly to look down at her, his eyes sending the same message as his lips did moments ago, and he smiled the smile of a man happily in love. 


	11. Chapter 11

Danny had practically moved Mindy into his apartment for her last month of pregnancy for the sake of convenience. The two of them refused to acknowledge that they were living together though because it all seemed rather sudden considering their relationship just began but deep down they both liked going to bed together every night and waking up in the morning beside each other every day.

She tried to convince him that she was still ok to work but he wouldn't have any of it. He took on the majority of her patients without complaint and, despite being completely exhausted as a result, was still ever present when he returned home to Mindy. 

A week earlier than her due date, Mindy's waters broke and Danny wasn't there. He had just popped out to the shops when she requested - well, demanded - some bizarre concoction of cheese (only ricotta would suffice), chocolate (the dark, rich kind which tasted like mahogany - don't ask - that you can only get from Godiva) and spinach (but it can't look like something that reminded her of all those days in her childhood where she was forcefed spinach). It took him far longer than necessary to find the exact ingredients and he returned to his apartment to find her right at the door, tapping her foot impatiently, clutching at her stomach and screaming with each contraction. He dropped the bags he was carrying and rushed to get the emergency pregnancy bag from the closet before ushering downstairs and into his car.

Once the panic passed, calm settled over Danny. Well, as calm as he could get in this situation. He was still sweating buckets. But he took control of the situation. He remained by her side, letting her squeeze the life out of his hand without so much as wincing, wiping her brow and kissing her temple and whispering how beautiful she looked. Hey, he did say he was a real man and he'd be damned if he didn't stick to his word on that. A part of him just wanted to pass out but he knew she'll never let him live it down.

'Come on. Just one more push!' Dr Ellis said in as soothing a voice as he could manage. 

'GAH! I'm trying here! Give me a break, you... _man_!' She spat out the words in anger and Danny had try hard not to laugh. Mainly because he was scared Mindy would actually snap his hand off.

Then he heard it. The high-pitched sound emitting from a small bundle of flesh. 

'Congratulations! You have a healthy son.' Dr Ellis said, handing the baby over to Danny. 

His eyes welled up with tears of joy as he looked down at his son, enamoured by him already. He had delivered countless babies over the years but he never truly understood what the parents felt when they first held their child. Now he was just overwhelmed by a rush of emotions. Mindy smiled at the image of Danny holding their son and said just above a whisper. 

'I love you.'

Danny turned his head sharply as he looked at Mindy. She hadn't said that until now and to hear those words while he was holding his son in his arms made the whole day seem unimaginably perfect. He was about to hand over their son to Mindy when Dr Ellis spoke up.

'Wait, Mindy, you can't hold your son yet. You have to keep pushing.'

'What?!' Mindy and Danny both said at the same time.

'You know you're having twins, right?'

'Does this look like the face of someone who knows they're having twins?!' Mindy screamed.

'Oh dear. Well, this is an inconvenient time to find out. I'm so sorry about that. I thought it was made clear to you.'

'Well, it wasn't!'

'Min, it's ok. There's nothing we can do about it now. Just keep pushing. We'll figure it out.' He said gently, placing a kiss against her sweat-soaked hair.

She nodded and went through the motions a second time, until another wailing was heard.

'Congratulations! You have a daughter as well.'

Mindy suddenly brightened up. 'Danny! Danny! Boy-girl twins! You know what this means?'

'What?'

'We can name them after the best romantic couples!'

'Isn't a little weird for siblings to be named after romantic couples?'

'No, it-' she paused for a second '-yeah, ok, a little.'

He kissed her and smiled down at her. 'We'll figure it out, babe. You and me. And these two.'

She grinned up at him, content with how her life was panning out.

* * *

Mindy never moved back into her apartment. It was still just too convenient for the two of them to be living together. But his apartment wasn't really made for four people, so they looked for a place they could all live in.

They went into the practice with the twins and everyone was fawning all over them, trying to suggest names for the yet unnamed babies. 

The rest of the office had quickly come to terms with the situation between Danny and Mindy and were nowhere near as surprised as Mindy would have liked. She wanted her moment in the spotlight, her moment to be the centre of office gossip and stood pouting in a corner until Danny came up to her, sliding his arms around her waist from behind and whispered into her ear, 'You'll always be the centre of my heart', before placing a soft kiss at the tender spot right by her ear. She found she was happy with that alone and smiled while settling into him.

Morgan had insisted on naming both twins Morgan because 'it works for a boy and a girl'. Jeremy insisted that the girl should be called Elizabeth because it struck him as a pretty name suited for a pretty girl, with his attention focused solely on Betsy, while she stood there blushing different shades of red.

It was on their cab ride back that they settled on names. She wanted her daughter to be named after Danny's Ma, because she was the most important woman in his life and she wanted her child to always have a part of her. He wanted his son to have a strong, traditional, masculine name and as his eyes landed on a restaurant they were passing, he smiled and suggested it to her.

* * *

Mindy didn't get the fairytale romance she had always dreamed about since she was a little girl. But she found that the turn of the events that brought Danny and Mindy closer together was wonderful enough for her not to care one bit. This was her fairytale, and she was living it.


End file.
